Den skaldede frisør (2012) Reviews

• The perfect realistic romance movie

  AvidClimber2013-06-18

  Love Is All You Need is a wedding, romance, and family movie from Denmark mostly taking place in Italy. It is about solving the riddles within yourself, not necessarily succeeding, but at least acknowledging them. The good. Superb Italian panoramas. Fascinating and touching story with a lot of depth. Very realistic. Solidly built scenario with interesting twists and turns. Excellent background. Perfect ending. Nicely romantic with a few laughs. Well grounded. No clichés. The actors. Trine Dyrholm is absolutely fantastic, beautiful and compelling. Pierce Brosnan, while not playing too far from his usual roles, is just great. And I have to mention the work of Paprika Steen as the annoying, mean, and self-centered aunt/sister-in-law. The bad. I can't thing of anything. That's how much I appreciated the flick. The ugly. Nothing. The result. Something much different from Hollywood's romantic films. A true breath of fresh air. A must for everyone, to the exception of those not interested in romance or family conflicts.

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• Great Movie that can deceive the viewer

  ferrari-pp2013-05-18

  I am very surprised to see how many people thought this is a feel-good , crowd-pleaser movie. To me it is the exact opposite: a very well done hard movie that explores all the kinds of relationships in today's world. So you see the cheater with a wife with cancer (a few names of political figures in USA come to mind), the gay who tries to fight his gayness, the mother who does not love the daughter, the man who still mourns his loss and does not pay attention to what he has, the son who wants to please the distant father, and so on. In a way a very sad, gut-wrenching movie. Now in this human-heart exploration the director, I think, threw in also the visual difference between a gray Copenhagen and a very colorful, beautiful Sorrento: this might be the way to suggest the difference between reality and want we WANT to believe. The only predictable part of the movie is the ending ... and may be even this it's Mrs Bier's way to tell us that in spite of all the terrible things we saw, there is always hope for all of us! I enjoyed very much this great movie. The only thing I did not like is the Englis translated title. The original title (The Bald Hairdresser) is much better in my opinion.

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• Feel good enjoyable movie

  dexkirb2013-04-20

  I think the Italian review above is very harsh - what do we go to see films for? To be entertained and moved emotionally in at least one way. I laughed, cried, smiled and thought this was a great way to spend two hours. It is not pretentious or highbrow but that is good in my opinion - the locations are good on the eye, music enjoyable and a few interesting characters. Whilst it may not be Brosnan's most challenging role he is a likable guy and character and does portray a man with baggage, emotional issues and regret over his relationship with his son. many people will recognise some of the issues in this film, so lighten up in Italy and just regard some films as light entertainment - nothing wrong with that.

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• naturally charming and relatable

  se-milton2013-11-22

  Arrow Films presents a Danish feature directed by Susanne Bier that brings together Trine Dyrholm and Pierce Brosnan as Ida, a woman battling with a cheating husband and the aftermath of chemotherapy, and widower Philip, protagonists in a romance that begins as they meet at their children's wedding. The encounter takes place in Sorrento, Italy where Brosnan's character met his first wife who died several years before. The beauty and warmth of the setting naturally inspires a feeling of romance, but it all has a slight Mamma Mia air to it – minus the singing. That aside, Bier instills a tenderness in Ida whose struggle with cancer functions as a sub plot, the focus being on her beauty and delicate, intelligent nature. Dyrholm is astonishing to look at on screen, and the grace that she brings to Ida is moving. Brosnan's Philip begins as a wounded, uptight businessman (recognisable from previous films like Remember Me,) but he gently and gradually weaves a vulnerability that proves his fine technique as an actor. There are some glorious moments for Philip's desperate sister-in-law, Benedikte (Paprika Steen) as she is batted away in her attempts to woo Philip. Ida's husband Leif (Kim Bodnia) brings his new woman Tilde (Christiane Schaumburg-Muller) to the wedding unannounced, with both characters lending a comic naivety to the film. The reaction from Ida's children is a dream, particularly Kenneth (Micky Skeel Hansen) with his biting tongue and later, brilliantly well-placed left hook. The focus of Love Is All You Need is of course on love, in a rom-com that is naturally charming and relatable. It doesn't sicken, and the story is plausible and raw. It explores sexuality, sensuality, and the nature of love in a way that is considerate and inquisitive. Susanne Bier has a clear vision with her directorial story, admitting that she is "very romantic" herself but insisting "you can't be heavy handed in a rom-com" – and this very human clarity works in the film's favour. Emotionally engaging and a relatively easy watch, Love Is All You Need is subtitled, but not noticeably, with fluid scenes in English interjected throughout (our leading man understands Danish but never speaks it). It's gorgeously shot and a very open, appreciative film.

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• Candid

  blogurious2012-10-04

  It doesn't matter how much you have, materialistic speaking. The one and only thing that makes sense in life and never fades away is the love we all feel inside, regardless of how many times it seems to let us down. Love is like an endless spring, always digging other ways to keep on flowing, if you'll let it. "Love Is All You Need" doesn't need to say much. It's just a look into dysfunctional families and the many secrets we all hold, trying to avoid confrontation because it's much easier to pretend everything is okay. It's a very romantic and, yet, sad journey that takes you through the pain and determination of a character fighting to stay alive in every sense of the way. Sometimes love may seem to have abandoned you until it kisses you from behind, restoring the hope you thought was lost. Simply lovely.

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